2 N. Korean defectors die in boat sinking: activist

2018/01/13 15:07

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SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- A small boat carrying 12 North Korean female defectors recently sank in the Mekong River on the border of Laos and Thailand, killing two of them, a human rights activist in South Korea said Saturday.

The North Korean women had gathered in the Chinese province of Shandong on Jan. 4 and begun their journey to South Korea via Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, the activist said.

"The ill-fated boat had a capacity for about 10 people. The sinking may have been caused by being overcrowded," said the activist, asking to remain anonymous.

A file photo of the Mekong River provided by EPA (Yonhap)

"Two defectors drowned, but 10 others swam back to Laos before arriving in Thailand on another boat. They are currently under the custody of Thai police," the activist said.

The body of a defector in her 20s was found, but the other defector has yet to be located.

The activist added most of the North Korean women were sent to China for human trafficking.